Democrats mobilize for upcoming elections

Politics has always been a hot topic and like an epidemic sweeping this  country it has caused unlikely strangers to interact and engage one  another in conversation.  The contentious Democratic primary battle has  brought out record numbers of voters across the nation.
But this  closely matched Democratic primary election is not without its share of  controversy. As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) considers how it  will handle the Florida and Michigan delegates, many local grassroots  organizations are organizing to develop delegates.
The Los Angeles  African America Women Political Action Committee (LAAAWPAC), along with  Earl Ofari Hutchinsons Urban Policy Roundtable, recently hosted a  session on Becoming a Delegate to the Democratic National Committee.
Because of the misconceptions about the Democratic delegate situation,  we wanted to clear up some of the confusion and explain to registered  voters how to get to Denver to represent their congressional district as  a delegate, said Jacquelynn Hawthorne, Chairwoman of LAAAWPAC.
Ken  Maxey, Deputy Political and Outreach Director for the California  Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee, and the  sessions keynote speaker said, This presidential election is  historical. People are excited about Senators Clinton and Obama and they  want to be a delegate. Its my job to inform people about how to be a  delegate.
Each of Californias 53 Congressional Districts are  allocated three to six district level delegates.  The number of  delegates are based upon the population and voting from the presidential  elections of 2000 and 2004.  A delegate must be a registered Democratic  voter in his or her congressional district. The filing deadline for  District Level Delegates is April 4, 2008
The current  administrations has negatively impacted most of the citizens of this  country as well as world, says Maxey. I think voters realize this and  are coming out in record numbers to vote and engage the candidates. It  is apparent to people in this country that we cannot afford four more  years of an administration that has not allowed the country to grow or  progress.
However this presidential election is different. For the  first time in United States history, an African American and a woman are  serious candidates for this nations highest elected office. Both  candidates have dominated this nations interest and have cause division  among party leaders.
Super delegates, unlike most convention  delegates, are not selected based on the party primaries and caucuses.  They are usually current or former elected officials and party  officials.  They are free to vote for any Democratic candidate.
Congressmembers  Diane Watson, Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson are super delegates  and strong supporters of Hillary Clinton. However, their districts voted  overwhelmingly for Barack Obama in the recent primary.
About eight  million voters turned out for the February 5 primary in California.  Thats 1.2 million more than the previous record set back in 2000.
Debra  Bowen, Californias Secretary of State said, The closeness of the  Democratic and Republican contest, and the ability to help pick the next  presidential nominee, clearly motivated Californians to head to the  polls in record numbers for a primary election.
The California  Democratic Party provides more information about how to become a  delegate on its web site www.cadem.org.